Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-03-26
written for The EVENING Star
THE LAST BUFFALO HUNT.
The True Inwardness Of an Explicit
Bucking BrOnchO and a Dead buck
The Exfirminati0n of the Antelone.
BY WILLIAM T. HORNADAY.
Author Of 1.-TWO Years In the jungle n
Copyright. 1887. All rights reserved

Up 10 thIs moment not living soul besides myself
knows the true inwardness OF that exploit, and
wouldn't have the boys find 1T out for the world.
So NUNS the word now
On our way to the buffalo country we saw no
antelope until two days travel from Miles City
which shows how fast they are being extermi
Mated When the first bunch was sighted OF
course we were all eagerneSS to get some fresh
meat out OF IL, and 1t fell to me to take the shot
stalked the bunch very cleveriy, I must admit,
with the rear sight OF my Winchester elevated to
200 yards, as being the supposed distance
from my chosen firing point TO the herd
Wen, when i finally looked over the brow
OF the hill, found / was within 100 yards OF
my game. In my eagerneSS TO get pair oil
sayory antelope hams. well as to let the men
see that could shoot, even though all hands were
gaping at me, totally forgot the elevation / had
given my Sgnt 1t Was a beautiful chance, foI
the antelope TODD perfectly still and looked
ab5orbedly at the wagon, away off TO my right
drew up carefully, aimed for the finest buck and
banged away suppose my bullet flew about a
loot above his shoulders, possibly two, and away
went our INTENDED hams.
There was no secret about that in all conscience.
IL was palpable disgusting, humiliating failure,
and all the boys saw 1t. 1t was in the retrieving
OF my reputation that there hangs tale.
We camped that night at the Red Buttes, the
only water for fifteen miles around and therefore
good place for antelope. As We pulled out the
next morning, and headed straight for the butteS,
saw the soldier who was riding IN advance sud-
denly diSmOunt from his mule and beckOn wildly
fOr me 10 come on. Putting my horse at gallOp
Il
were Two antelope on the other side of the butte.
Thinking more OF retrieving my reputation than
OF meat quickly dismounted left my horse and
Boie up the Steep rocky side OF the butte Private
Moran Indicated mo more nonsense with ele-
waited sights now, II you pleaSe." i said to myself
severely re OF fa this time would es disaster tho
rocks toward the north, but saw no antelope.
Too bad. I looked west; no antelope. looked
east, but-great gumSi there they were, In full
view, standing on the level top OF butte as high
as mine, looking straight at me, and only hun
and afy yards away 1ne OF them snd s Sc
instant my rife was at my shoulder and pointing
at his. Aiming for bis heart region, just behind
bare rock right In his tracks, with the traditional
dull thud," just like sack of wheat.
GOOD shot!" cried Private Moran from below.
Descending with the air OF cOnQuerOr went to
ny dead antelope, which was a young buck, and
proceeded TO giOat few gloats over him. "Now, "
thinks i, 'tPve done II. That was neat piece Of
work, and makes up for yesterdays affair" Pres
emily IL occurred TO me 70 look and see II my
bullet had gone squarely through the heart; The
beast had dropped very sudden 10 be shot through
the heart, II seemed 10 me. There was no bullet
hole behind the fore leg at all Nor had struck the
body anywhere-nor even the neck. My bullet
had struck the buck just one anch behind the eye,
and gone SQuareiy through the brain! oh, degra-
0atfon- IL was clean miss OF two feet from what
stomach TO think OF it. II there mad been any
timber in that country I would have sneaked on
and got into IL, out OF sight.
In a few minutes the wagons came I'D, and all
me boys fell 10 saying pleasant and cOmp-
mentary things TO show that yesterdays score
was wiped out. And some one said:
''That was a dead shot, sure. Do you always
aim for the brain?"
''weI, no,-that is, not exactly always But /
wanted to kin this fellow so dead he couldn't
kick"
The boys never once suspected me: and 1 sat
down on stone and felt as If had stolen sheep
1t Is only fair TO say that also killed the mate
TO this antelope first shot. When the first one
dropped. the other ran away for little distance
then came racing back TO look for his comrade
nred at him and missed, but when he turned and
made Oh second time caught him with a ball in
the hip as he ran Had it not been for his foolish
curiosity he would not have come TO grief; but
thanks 10 that, and my good luck, we had fresh
meat enough for three whole days
We're IL not that the antelope are disappearing
so iast, the pursuit of the pronghorn in october
and November would be very fine sport It's sue
cesau prosecution calls for adrOitneSs in stalking
and skill In lOnc-range shooting under very try
Ing circumstances. But where Is the true sports
man or naturalist who can bring down a prong
horn now withouta pang OF regret, and the feeling
that he Is helping 10 .kilI of" the speclesP Not
here, az all events It il aaSI only too true that
the nimble-iooted prairie rover, whose graceful
1o<m Is even Yet the gladdeSt Slght.that meets the
eye OF the painSman, is only few days behinCfthe
buffalo on the road TO determination. And how
d0ubly deSoiate will those bleak prairieS seem
without him. TAKE away FROM those vast soil
tI1eS the few antelope that still enliyen ii little
and what deS0lation Will remain. The buffalo,
ok and deer have already totally disappeared
from the prairieS where Were at least) the an
t6iOpe being killed about twice as fast as they
breed, and even the coyotes being slain whole
sale Dy the Strychnine OF the ranchmen and cow
punchers.
As one rides mile after mile and day after day
over the shaver prairleS or traverses the ups and
downs OF the battle country, the eye instfnctively
searches the landscape over and over, seeing the
same monotonous features OF ''divide" and
draw and butte" and ''coulfen and ssf1at :"
covered with meaSiy sage brush or Stingy buffalo
grass until they all become positively hateful TO
The sight And then how welcome Is the sight of
hero OF antelope. No matter how family seen or
how Ear away, the vision follows them and dweIls
upon them with mighty sense OF relief as long as
Hhsvr IN In Cfrrfe
movements are watched, the number accurately
counted II they are near enough. and everything
And how much more enectualIy is the monotony
broken when the solitary rider comes suddenly
upon a large herd OF fifteen or twenty individuals
ridge he Is riding over. The grand scamper which
follows Is always exciting, even TO the most ex-
On the pararie divides where there are no buttes
or deep couieS, and one must shoot from the top
OF long slope. the hunter must expect TO do hls
SaOOtlng at rom 200 yards upward. III he can
not MT at that dlStance,-1dtost In the bad lands
or butte country, the hunter can stalk his game
behind little hills and sharp ridges, or along the
deep coulieS, and thus get within $50 or even 100
Yards. But 1t Is no child's play even then In the
nrst place, In nine cases out OF ten the antelope
sees the hunter first and Immediately starts TO
make call on friend in the next county But
even IL you see him first, and make a successful
stalk up TO given point, the chances are four TO
one tnat Wnen YOU get there you Will miSjudge the
distance and faN 10 Kill.
II there Is anywhere in this world any better
don't want 70 see It. There is nothing Whatever
% Judge by save the size OF the animal and the
distance along the ground and In shooting amongst
bills and hoilOwS there are very special facilities
for the making Of mistakes Even the most ex-
per1enced hunters and COW boys are prone TO blum
der, aud many time got the laugh on Boyd and
Jim as badly they did On me- Generally one
thinks an animal is not far on asst really Is but
very often the reverse IS the case. AT first 1t Is
mOrtifylng 70 biunder so, then aggravating; after
that ones only relief Is in cusSlng the country
but finally Ii becomes absurd and amusing
The nnest Old buck antelope which fell to me
on the whole trip Came to most melancholy and
yet most iauShable end Boyd and started out
together one morning, and about two miles from
camp we eSpled some distance ahead OF US a few
antelope lecOng. looked them over with the
glass. and saw one 1he Old buck, whose skin was
Deeded ID our collection We rode 10 one side and
approached the herd behind a little until the
Tine came 10 diSInount, and then We each chose
our point and started ahead on foot / finally
lescne1 up al the Top OF "A rocky knoll. within
about 10 yards Of the buck, Who was feeding in a
hollow, and nred at MIN The bullet hit him
Ts1riy, but he ran little distance and then stood
Still. The next shot brought him down and nv
The time We got 10 him he was dead
We dlsemDoweled him TO save the meat from
spelling, taxing Infinite pains 10 keep the blood
from the hali ana lett the carcass e carried To
camp In the evening ON our way back We went
on our way, had long tireSOIne ride through some
very bad country, and Just before sunset When we
day, We came upon TWO IN a f>,yine, a cow and a
yearfing cali, and killed them both Well the
next day, after skinl1ng the two buffalo and send
Ing Brown with the wagon 10 haul them 10 camp.
we rode on TO bring in the dead buck.
Contrary 10 our expectations, we found him un-
place the carcass across roam pony We had
brought along BACK III caIuD This DOny hal